Associate Professor Hilary Bambrick

Associate Professor Hilary Bambrick

 

Biography

Hilary Bambrick (PhD, BA (Hons), BSc, Grad Cert Higher Ed) is Associate Professor in Population Health in the School of Medicine at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) and a member of the Health Services and Outcomes Research Group.

She is an environmental epidemiologist and biological anthropologist whose principal research interests include the health impacts of climate variability and change, especially on more vulnerable populations. Her doctoral thesis (ANU, 2003) examined Indigenous child growth in relation to later adult health with particular reference to diabetes. She has over 50 research publications including more than 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and has contributed as a lead investigator to the award of $10 million in research funding.

Hilary is a Visiting Fellow at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University and a Research Fellow and Public Health Spokesperson at the Australia Institute.

Her current research includes:

Health impacts of climate change and variability (scenario-based modelling and strategic planning)

  • asthma and allergy
  • vector-borne disease
  • impacts on indigenous communities and other vulnerable groups
  • urban adaptation opportunities
Role of the environment in healthy ageing
  • ageing well in the natural and built environment
  • climate
  • housing
  • urban design
  • transport
The public health, social and economic implications of remunerated blood and organ donation
  • social acceptability of opt-in versus opt-out systems
  • attitudes to reimbursement

Other Areas of Research and Teaching Expertise

  • Environmental epidemiology and population health
  • Evidence-based Medicine
  • Health impacts of climate change
  • Child growth
  • Indigenous diabetes

Grants/Current Projects

2010
NHMRC Project Grant Health impacts of climate change on Indigenous Australians. Identifying climate thresholds to enable the development of informed adaptation strategies.

2009
NHMRC Project Grant. Obesity, overweight and hospitalisation: Identifying interventions to prevent adverse health outcomes.

2008
NHMRC Capacity Building Grant. OSPREY: Building capacity for research to improve health services for mothers, babies and children.

CSIRO Flagship Cluster Grant. Human Health and Climate Change Adaptation.

National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility Grant. National Adaptation Research Network on Health Impacts and Adaptation.

UWS School of Medicine. Assessing community attitudes to remunerated blood donation in Australia: Implications for safe and sustainable supply.

CSIRO Healthy Urban Systems. The impact of climate change in the daily life of the population's health and well-being.

NSW HACC tender. The 45 and Up Study: exploring met and unmet needs for home care in NSW.

Garnaut Climate Change Review. Ross River virus under climate change in Australia.

2007
Garnaut Climate Change Review. Climate change impact assessment on health in Australia.

University of Western Sydney Sustainability Research Initiative. Acculturation and mental health among older Vietnam-born and Lebanon-born residents of western Sydney.

2006
NHMRC Preventive Healthcare and Strengthening Australia’s Social and Economic Fabric Strategic Awards: Understanding the impact of social, economic and geographic disadvantage on the health of Australians in mid to later life: Where are the opportunities for prevention?.

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Awards and Recognition

Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. College of Health and Science, University of Western Sydney 2010

For excellence in curriculum innovation which promotes independent and cooperative learning and enhanced practice through experience, inquiry, and peer teaching

Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Epidemiology 2003

Australian Postgraduate Award (PhD Scholarship) 1999

University Medal, The Australian National University 1998

Honours Scholarship, The Australian National University 1998

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Key Selected Publications

Access a full publication listing.

McMichael A, Bambrick H. The global environment. In: Detels R, Beaglehole R, Lansang M, Gulliford M, eds. The Oxford Textbook of Public Health. 5th Edition ed. Vol. 1: The Scope of Public Health. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009;220-237

van Kleef E, Bambrick H, Hales S. The geographic distribution of dengue fever and the potential influence of global climate change. TropIKA accepted in press.

Bambrick HJ, Capon AG, Barnett GB, Beaty RM, Burton AJ. Climate Change and Health in the Urban Environment: Adaptation Opportunities in Australian Cities. Asia Pac J Public Health 2011.

Bambrick HJ, Woodruff RE, Hanigan IC. Climate change could threaten blood supply by altering the distribution of vector-borne disease: an Australian case-study. Glob Health Action 2009;2.

McMichael AJ, Bambrick HJ. Greenhouse-gas costs of clinical trials. Lancet 2007;369(9573):1584-5.

Bambrick HJ, Faunce TA, Johnston K. Potential impact of AUSFTA on Australia's blood supply. Med J Aust 2006;185(6):320-3.

Beggs PJ, Bambrick HJ. Is the global rise of asthma an early impact of anthropogenic climate change? Environ Health Perspect 2005;113(8):915-9.

Bambrick H, Dear K, Woodruff R, Hanigan I, McMichael A. The impacts of climate change on three health outcomes: Temperature-related mortality and hospitalisations, salmonellosis and other bacterial gastroenteritis, and population at risk from dengue. Garnaut Climate Change Review.  2008.

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Membership of professional organisations

Australasian Epidemiological Association

International Epidemiological Association

International Society for Environmental Epidemiology

Climate Institute Strategic Council

 

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